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T O P I C R E V I E W

Jim Behling

I am trying to put Gemini/Apollo names for existing or former buildings at Kennedy Space Center (KSC).

The southeast section of the KSC Industrial Area was formerly know as the Fluids Test Area.

Per Moonport Chapter 11, the Fluids Test Area consisted of: Hypergolic test building, Cryogenic test building, Environmental control systems building and Support building. The same reference also includes a Weight and balance building which might be near the O&C building (MSOB). Also, there are pictures (Figure 126) and other references to a pyrotechnic installation building.

I have a old Manned Spacecraft Center document (I will have to find it and post some scans) and it says the Hypergolic test building and Environmental control systems building have two bays. Using this info, I believe that M7-961 current Hypergol Module Processing, North is the Hypergolic test building and M7-1212 current Hypergol Module Processing, South is the Environmental control systems building. The document I have shows on building further south where M7-1412, Hypergol Module Storage, East is and since there use to be a H2 and O2 servicing pads near this facility, it would mean it was the Cryogenic test building.

The pyrotechnic installation building remains unknown to me and as well as the former name of Hypergol Module Storage, West. Also, weight and balance of items and spacecraft may have occurred in these same building so did the Weight and balance building exist and if so, what is it called today?

Through further research, I have found that the Weight and Balance building became the Pyrotechnics Installation Building. This is where the final checkout of the Gemini spacecraft occurred before going to the pad. Before going to the Pyrotechnics Installation Building, the spacecraft and its fuel cells were checked out in the Cryogenic test building.

This also where the Apollo LES was processed.

The Pyrotechnics Installation Building became the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility-1 during the Titan IIIE era and eventually, the Vertical Processing Facility in the shuttle era.

Jim Behling

Not to offend anybody, but with the heavy emphasis on site for anything Mercury, Gemini or Apollo, why wasn't there an uproar over the demolition of the Vertical Processing Facility (VPF) in 2010.

After all, Gemini spacecraft were processed there and the Apollo 1 spacecraft was disassembled and laid out for the review board.